Ghana ranks highly among African countries that are most exposed to risks from multiple weather-related hazards, especially perennial flooding.

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Accra, amongst other regions in Ghana, has often faced the brunt of heavy flooding during rainy seasons over the past years.

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In a bid to deal with this menace, past and present governments have invested some, with aid from the World Bank and other donors.

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In May 2019, the World Bank approved a $200 million investment for the GARID project,, which focuses on improving flood risk management and solid waste management in the Odaw River Basin of Greater Accra.

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This was after a devastating flood and fire disaster in the Odaw catchment on June 3, 2015 which led to the unfortunate loss of about 150 lives.

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However, despite these significant investments, the Ministry of Works and Housing says only two percent of the problem has been addressed.

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During a media engagement on June 13, 2024, the deputy sector Minister, Dr Prince Hamid Armah,, revealed that,

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“If you take Greater Accra, the intervention of the Greater Accra Resilience and Integrated Development Project (GARIP) that we put in a lot of resources to be able to address the problem, we are solving only two percent of the flooding situation in Greater Accra.”

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According to him, addressing the drainage situation requires proper demarcation and mapping of the regional landscape, including all drainage systems, to accurately estimate the necessary budget.

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He also mentioned that additional investment is needed to tackle the flooding issue, emphasising that the government alone cannot finance it.

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When asked about the allocation of the recently approved tranche of the GARID project, he explained that the additional $150 million will be partially used for re-scoping the project and settling compensations.

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Meanwhile, the seven major floods includethe Accra floods of 1995.

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The torrential floods in Northern Ghana in 2007.The major flooding event in Accra in June 2010.

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The floods in Accra and surrounding areas in June 2014.

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The floods that hit Tamale in July 2016.The Accra floods of June 2019.

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